Anaheim Ducks select defenseman Stian Solberg with No. 23 pick in NHL Draft

The Anaheim Ducks picked one of the best shutdown blueliners at the 2024 NHL entry draft, selecting Norwegian Stian Solberg with the No. 23 pick.

Stolberg’s physical maturity (6-foot-2, 205 pounds), mobility, and experience against older players make him a solid bet to carve out NHL minutes despite lackluster offensive stats for EHL Vålerenga with 15 points in 42 games.

The 18-year-old flew under the radar for most of the regular season and seemed certain to fall to the middle rounds thanks to his limited experience against elite competition in the top league of his native country.

That perception changed after Stolberg impressed against some of the game’s best at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia.

Stolberg logged big minutes for an oft-overmatched Norwegian team that featured only two players who ply their trade at either the NHL or AHL level and none from the KHL.

His hard-checking, defensively responsible style brought him an even rating for a team that was outscored by 10 goals over the course of the tournament and made fans of plenty of scouts and executives.

Solberg is slated to play in the SHL for Farjestad next season, and the jump in competition will only serve to hasten his transition into an NHL defenseman.

Though he lacks the dynamic offensive potential of fellow prospects Zeev Buium and Artyom Levshunov, fans of the Ducks can expect Solberg to fill a role as a penalty killer whose strong defense and physicality bolsters their top four.

The need for such players is evident in the interest fellow lefty Nikita Zadorov is expected to garner in free agency. Anaheim hopes that in Solberg, they can develop a similar talent in-house.